Christian Education in the Modern Era

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I spent reading Frater Mangun's profile and I loved how his dedication to education, which is important to me. Frater Mangun was the rare person that had to have a different education system in Indonesia, Aachen, Germany, and Colorado, United States. Indonesia is a country that has strong culture and traditions the students are taught to obey and follow their senior instructions, a bunch of advice, and commandments, and even live in senior's experiences that are considered going to be successful. It doesn't free-living independently and finding what means life. It is full of doctrine, concepts, ideas, myths, and systems that are against free-will human-being independence. 

Here's the blog that we are addressing about Christian Education. The Christian life is simply back to the Bible only. In Roman Catholic, we are learning about Gravissimum Educations, which is part of the Second Council Vatican that was declared on October 28th, 1965 by Pope Paul VI, following approval by the assembled bishops (Source: Wikipedia). This is really important to the future of Christian education which is getting developed by time-to-time. Then, what the Scripture says about education?

Firstly, where we should begin with "faith, mind, soul, and strength"

Mark 12: 30 says, that is vital about loving God with full heart, mind, soul, and strength. You start to love God and want to know about Him, that's the beginning before we are deep swimming about Him. Christian education needs those points that Christian education is to be able to improve and gain God's love experiences with students, teachers, lecturers, and anyone who wants to experience God's love. 

You want to know about how Jesus fasted for 40 days, but you need to know that none of afford going to fast as Jesus did but teach how to fast by being full of mind and strength. If you think you are impossible to try fasting as Jesus did, that's okay and you can fast like what Daniel and Esther did in the Old Testament, which is only 3 days and 7 days. Christianity teaches us to use our minds before we are observing fast through the Holy Spirit. Spirit will guide you about how long fast you want to. We learn God's love with faith, mind, soul, and strength.  

Secondly, Christianity isn't toxicity and free will to believe or not in God.

Christianity entered the Reformation Era, where Christianity is no longer socially and politically dominant which allows us to have a freeing will to research, question, analyze, study, and ended up what's the last answer that goes yes or no, believe in God. John 13: 7 says that Jesus believed that "you ended up will know it later." Jesus never asked you to believe in Him and He just proclaimed the salvation that where only comes through Him being the Father and the Lord. Jesus repeatedly said, "Follow me" as simply as He did. You have your own decision to follow Him or not. 

The church has Sunday school teaching 20 children, you might think 20 children will believe in God. Unfortunately, it won't happen. What should you teach them so they will believe in God? You simply teach them about Jesus and the Bible, as the remaining surrendering them to God. God will call them at the right time. You do not need to be sad when your students no longer believe in God, even if they don't want to go to a church, and that's such a good affirmation. They are grown up with critical thinking and active exploration. That is good. They just need time. One day, they will believe in God openly. That's why the baptism sacrament should be for adults only, not for children. When you believe in God and you are ready to surrender your life to God, you can go to get baptized because you are an adult and super ready. 

Christianity encourages us to learn science in Genesis, about God's creation. Social and law issues, yes, you can learn about the four gospels that you can see that how Jesus loves, and in the Christianity pre-history, you can see how sacrificed the twelve of Christ ministries around the world. Jesus came to the world to fulfill the laws in Romans 10: 4, and it's finished already. So, you just need to share the gospel through science, social, laws, and whatever is okay. 

Thirdly, Christianity is a friendly and welcomed community for guidance and fellowship

Christianity loves encouraging us to fellowship, family, friendship, and community. A school is a "put melting box", someplace where we are put in a diverse and rich of cultures, ethnicities, persons with disabilities, and languages. That's the righteousness that 1 John 1: 3-6 says. Verse 6 says if we claim to fellowship with him but by walking in the dark, that's a lie, and do not live out the truth. 

We love white, black, Asians, Hispanics, autisms, Deaf, women, blind, poor, indigenous, people with wheelchairs, and even sinners and unbelievers that the world has and we are commanded to love and respect them. Christian education needs more about that. You need a community that can guide you to want to know more about God. It's a massive encouragement. We need to proclaim that God is the light and there is no darkness in verse 5. God doesn't create you to live alone but needs a helper so you are going to have a chance to experience God's love through this community.

Lastly, Christianity doesn't need doctrine, systems, and ideas, but Christianity shares the gospel about salvation.

Students who study at a Bible school, definitely learn about theology, and kinds of theologies, but anybody needs to know what the lessons you have studied are, the point is that Christianity doesn't need doctrine, systems, and ideas. Theologians have spent years that I'm sure that they would believe Christianity is about believing in Jesus and admitting that Jesus is God. There are no Roman Catholics, Orthodox, Pentecost, Charismatic, Lutheran, Calvinism, Non-Denominational, and Methodist, but there is Christianity that believes in Jesus being the Lord and Savior. 

John 14: 6 is the basic theology where we begin to admit and accept Jesus as God. In the Book of Acts, clear, the twelve of Christ became martyrs for sharing the gospel about salvation and Jesus has risen. First Corinthians 15: 12-13 is about the obligation to share that Jesus has risen and salvation. That's what we are required to do in Christian education.

I think there are four vital things about Christian education in the modern era. Christian education should always be child-centered learning, where the students are putting in the vital main in child development. We let them explore, run, draw, play, find, look, and do whatever they are doing. We are just guiding them in the right way and praying for them every day, as it has shown you love your children and students. We believe God will love them and He will call them at the right time so they will proclaim that they love God as well as you have loved God.

I hope it's helpful for you to teach your children and students about Christianity in the right way.

God is so good! God bless you!